Make your mind up, bro: Hilarious moment an army officer is spotted wearing camo AND high-vis while patrolling the Queensland border where 63,000 cars have been checked
- Australian Army brought in to help police at border check points this Easter
- Military hit the road wearing confusing combination of high-vis and camouflage
- Prime Minister says army have supportive role and are not enforcement officers
Australian army officers have been spotted on the Queensland Border wearing a confusing combination of camouflage and high-vis.
The country’s military has been called in to assist police over the Easter long weekend as border checks and travel restrictions ramp up in the Sunshine State to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Roadblocks have already been set up at three locations on the M1 Motorway on the Gold Coast and it’s expected more check points will be in place across the state before Good Friday.
For safety reasons, anyone working on the road in Australia must wear high-vis clothing — even soldiers who normally try to stay incognito.
So far a total of 63,135 vehicles have been intercepted at the state's border.
The army has also been brought in by the Federal Government to help over-stretched police guards return travellers at hotels in mandatory 14-day quarantine.
But Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made it clear military officers are only operating in a supportive capacity.
‘Members of the Australian Defence Force are not authorised as enforcement officers, regarding prosecution in states and territories,’ he said.
‘That is the responsibility of law enforcement territories sworn in those jurisdictions.
‘I have no doubt the Defence Force will do that in the most sensible way they can.’
That means soldiers guarding the Queensland border do not have the authority to turn vehicles around or hand out fines.
That will still be the authority of the jurisdiction of police.
Australian Army officers have been spotted on the Queensland Border wearing a confusing combination of camouflage and high-vis.
The country’s military has been called in to assist police over the Easter long weekend as border checks and travel restrictions ramp up in Queensland to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Normally a mecca for holidaymakers, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk closed Queensland’s borders to all non-essential interstate travellers on April 4.
She is now urging residents on all sides of the border to stay away this holiday period as the total number of COVID-19 cases reaches 953 in the state including four deaths.
‘I don’t like these restrictions as much as you do,’ she told reporters at a media conference Wednesday.
‘I can’t see my friends, I can’t see my family and it’s tough.
‘But we’ve got to comply with these laws because it’s about making sure our loved ones don’t end up dying.’
The Premier is willing to make a high-profile exception however.
‘I have spoken to the Chief Health Officer and the Police Commissioner and the Easter Bunny has been granted special exemption,' she said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said soldiers will operate in a supportive role during the coronavirus crisis and do not have the authority to turn vehicles around or hand out fines
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